Chick Lang, Maryland Sprint Add Speed to Undercard

A pair of rich six-furlong stakes will make for fast work on the Preakness Stakes (G1) undercard May 18 at Pimlico Race Course. Three-year-olds will sprint for $200,000 in the grade 3 Chick Lang Stakes (race 11, 4:42 p.m. post) while six older runners will dash for $150,000 in the Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3; race 6, 1:28 p.m. post).

Thoroughbred Champions Training Center’s Gladiator King has won a pair of one-turn stakes, including the grade 3 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park after fading in the March 2 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2). The son of Curlin , bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, popped a 101 Equibase Speed Figure in the six-furlong Hutcheson and later won the seven-furlong Roar Stakes there April 20. The Chick Lang will be the colt’s first 2019 start outside of South Florida.

Still Dreaming got back on track when cut back to one turn in a seven-furlong allowance optional claiming race April 13 at Laurel Park for trainer Graham Motion. The son of Flatter  broke his maiden going a mile at Laurel Jan. 1.

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and Chris Larsen, Still Dreaming is out of Seeking Gabrielle, making him a half brother to champion 2-year-old male and Kentucky Derby Presented by YUM! Brands (G1) winner Nyquist . West Point Thoroughbreds, through Lane’s End Bloodstock, paid $460,000 for him at the 2017 Keeneland September yearling sale from breeder Hinkle Farms.

There’s early speed from Malpais, who wired the field last time in Hollywood Casino at Charles Town’s Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes April 20. The quick son of Hard Spun  showed gate speed earlier in the year at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in a pair of starts. Trained by Joe Sharp, he races for Richard and Connie Snyder and Brett and Billie Jo Setzer.

The venerable 7-year-old Always Sunshine makes his seasonal debut in the Maryland Sprint. The Ned Allard-trained runner won the Maryland Sprint in 2016 and a pair of sprint stakes last year at Delaware Park and Saratoga Race Course. Three of his past four drills for his return have been bullet moves at Delaware.

Maryland-bred Lewisfield, trained by Jeff Runco for breeder Linda Zang, has run in a pair of stakes so far this year, winning the Not For Love Stakes March 16 for state-breds, getting six furlongs in a crisp 1:08.68. The 5-year-old by Great Notion  figures to be a quick one out of the gate from post 4.

WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing’s New York Central, by Tapit , may find the Maryland Sprint a bit softer than the cast the 4-year-old caught in Keeneland’s Commonwealth Stakes (G3) in early April. The Steve Asmusssen-trained colt brings a steady worktab from Churchill Downs to Old Hilltop.

Speed will also come from post 6 in Main Line Racing Stable’s Wentz, who was bred by WinStar. He nosed Curate last time out at Keeneland in the mud April 12, earning an Equibase Speed Figure of 122 going six furlongs under Joel Rosario.

Entries: Chick Lang S. (G3)

Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 18, 2019, Race 11

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo
• 4:42 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lexitonian (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Jack Sisterson	15/1
2	2Still Dreaming (KY)	Weston Hamilton	120	H. Graham Motion	12/1
3	3Malpais (KY)	Luis Saez	120	Joe Sharp	3/1
4	4Admiral Lynch (KY)	Javier Castellano	120	Jorge Navarro	10/1
5	5Cabot (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Ron Moquett	15/1
6	6Gladiator King (KY)	Leonel Reyes	122	Jaime Mejia	6/1
7	7Pyron (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	122	Steven M. Asmussen	7/2
8	8Preamble (KY)	Florent Geroux	120	Rodolphe Brisset	5/2
9	9Confessor (MD)	Victor R. Carrasco	120	Carl Doran	15/1

Entries: Maryland Sprint S. (G3)

Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 18, 2019, Race 6

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $150,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 1:28 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1New York Central (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	122	Steven M. Asmussen	6/1
2	2Fellowship (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Kenneth Decker	15/1
3	3Parade of Nations (MD)	Trevor McCarthy	122	Jose Corrales	30/1
4	4Lewisfield (MD)	Arnaldo Bocachica	122	Jeff C. Runco	9/5
5	5Always Sunshine (FL)	Carol Cedeno	122	Edward T. Allard	5/1
6	6Wentz (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	John Tyler Servis	4/1
7	7Proforma (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Michael Stidham	3/1